Traffic signal



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR TRAFFIC S IGNAL J. J. FLANNERY, JR

Filed May ll Mmmm, ims' I Feb. 26 1924.

wnuesssss Feb., 26 1924.

J. J. FLANNERY, JR v TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed May 11 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSESS Feb. 26 1924.

J. J. FLANNERY, JR

TRAFFIC S IGNAL Filed May 11 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 L Swimming www EEEESMN WVI'NESSESS` @WMM- MMA lll Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

JAMES J. FLANNERY, Jnj, oF

PITTSBURGH. rnnnsvnvanm.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Application filed VMay 11,

.To el! ytzr/:om 'it vmay Concern- Be it known that I, JAMES J. .FInirnvnni. .'l'r.. a citizen ot' the United States, and a resident ot' Pittsburgln lin the county Yoit Allegheny and State oit Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useitul Improvement in 'lra'i'ic Signals, of which the, following is a specilication.

This invention relates to signaling" de vices, and particularly to a tralic signaling device et the type employed 'for directing' and regulating tratiic at the intersectionot streets or under other similar conditions.

it is an olirject ot the invention to provide a tra'ic signaling device which is ot sturd)` e-onstruction, neat. in appearance, easy to manipulate, and highlyY eliicient in operation.

It is a special object to provide a device not the character referred to which will attord protection to the operative against eX- posure to the elements, it desired, while at the saine time permittingl hiin to readily observe and conduct the traitlc, the protecting means employed being ot a removable nature enabling the saine to be detached and stored away when not required.

It is also a special object to provide a device equipped with a supporting base in the forni of a storage compartment, the top ot which will also serve as an elevated platform on which the operative may stand.

It is a further special object to provide a device in which the signaling,l element proper also functionsas a canopy or top, and in which the actuating means therefor is ot such character that upon the release thereof by" the operative, as is frequently necessary in case of accidents at which time the oper ative must leave his station at theisignalingr device, the indicating elen'ient of the sig- -nal will be automatically locked in a fixed posit-ion indicating the right. ot' passage for traftic in but a single direction.

vIt is still a further special object to provide a device which is self-contained, and equipped With suitable lighting ineans so arranged as to render the device effective for night signaling as Well as for use during theday.

These and other objects ot the invention will more fully appear when taken in coujunction With the following description and the appended claiins.

In the accompanying drawings,- Fig. l is an eleva-tional view, with parts broken away,

i i. ,operatively connected with eachother l','

1923. serial No. 638,202.

illustratingl the pre-terredembodiment ot the invention; Figi. 2 a fragmentary view illustrating one ol the indicating` signals torniing a part of the con'ibined canopy and nailing eleinent; Fig'. 3 a transverse sectional vien' taken through the upper portion ot" the device illustrated in Fig'. i. showing the method ot rotatali l v mounting and supporting'the canop,v signal; Fig. el a tinnsv` sectional view taken on the line lV--IV o i' Fig. i; and Fig. 5 an elevational view iliustrilling a nioditied Vtorni ot Vthe inventitm.

Heter-ringl to the enibodinient illustrated in Figs. l. to t. the supporting base which in the torni ot a storage compartment indicated gener-all)Y bv the reference nu nieral 'l` consisting oi the bottoni or 'lioor portion the top 2l, and the side wall Je. all ot' which cooperate to torni a hollow storage compartment such as clearlv indicated in the drawings. Although the base l may be znade in various forms. it is preterablv cylindrical in shape whereby it can be more easily nioved 'troni place to place by rolling' along the lower peripheral edge of the conrp'artinent, .in a Well known fashion. One side oi" the ctnnpartinent is provided with an opening olf considerable size which 'is equipped with the door 5, hinged at C', tl". and adapted to loe maintained in closed condition by means of the lock device T. The top 3 besides torniingl a closure tor the upper end oit the storage compartment, also serves as an elevated platform ou which the oliicer or operative Vin charge ot' the sig-nat ing device may stand. Y

ain' fl';

Fixed centi-all)`V` o'f the platform Z in suitable manner as by the cyliiu'lrical so'. uit 8, is an upright hollow mainstandard u equipped at a point adjacent its upper end with a bearing' boss lO which. is adapted to cooperate `with a bearing boss il surround ing the upper extremity ot the standard and superposed upon boss 10. The "to bearing' bosses are provided with racevv *formed in their adjacent faces -tor the reception et the anti-friction balls l2. it the'ezttreuie upper end ot' the standard 9 is mounted 'a lighting;l device of any suitable nature, that illustrated in the preferred embodiment hean electric lamp indicated at luf-3, the

source ot supply tor the electric lamp he* ing' obtained troni a storage lutter)Y li located Within the compartment ot the base. The storage battery 114i and the lamp 2l means ,of snit-able .wiring indicated at 14E which passes .upwardly .through the bore ot' the standard 9.

Attached to the bearing boss ,11 are aV plurality of radial arms 15, 15', 15 and 15', the boss 11 and the radial arms together forming a supporting spider on which to mount the combined canopy Vand indicating signal 16. The canopy-signal 16l is domevshaped and is preferably made as a stamping trom sheet metal having desirable properties for this purpose. The lower edge ot' the canopy is adapted to rest upon the radial arms whose outer ends are bent upwardly for ya short distance in the manner indicated at 17, 17', for embracing the lower' edge of the canopy, .and the bent ends of the arms are preferably rigidly connected with the canopy by means of set screws or other similar devices 18. it portion oi the material of the canopy 16 is removed or stencilled out at appropriate points about midway ot its height so as t'o form the desired designating signals. One ot these signals is clearly shown in Fig. 1 forming the word Stop Two such Vdesignations are 'formed at diametrically opposite points, and likewise located at diametrically opposite points spaced at 90 from the words Stop7 are similar designations forming the words Go These stencilled out words are backed by the transparent plates 20, 21, 20 and 21. the plates 2() and 20 being disposed behind the words yStop, while the plates Q1, Q1 are disposed behind the words Go All ot these plates are colored in a distinctiie manner corresponding to the traiiic regulations at the point'at which the .signaling device is to be used. it being customary in many localities to .use red in conjunction with the St-op designationsand green in conjunction with lthe designations (o." In addition to the stencilled out designations just described, other portions ot the canopy 16 may oe stencilled out 'For the purpose oi conveying information to j the trailic to be regulate(j y n. example ot .one such additional'designatun clearly indicated in F ig. 1 in which the lower portion of t-he canopy is stencilled out to iorni the following designation Pedestii-ans.v please cross with tratic. The last named designation is preferably formed ot' openings ,ot reduced size, and may be backed by a suitable backing plate, either plain or colored, similar to the plates E20, 20, 21 and 21', or the backing plate may be dispensed with7 it' desired.

The actuating means tor .rotating the canopy-signal, consists ot' a shaft 22 to which a pair of yolres or bands 23 encircling the standard 9 are attached` the lower band Q3 resting upon a collar 21 fixed to the standard. The upper portion ot the shaft 2Q immediately below the bearing boss 1.0 is bent latcra'zlj-f as at and is again turned izipwardly to. form end y2G which isladapted votally attached as at 28 to the lower extrem- Vityora shaft@ is a handleQQ, the pivotal connection 28 being ot such nature that the handle 29 is constantly urged to assume the position shownin dotted lines V, Fig. l. under the influence of gravity.

Formed integrally with and at one side ot the collar 2d is a segmental flange 3() which extends outwardly and lies immediately below the pivotal point 2S.V This flange is notched at the points 31 and 32, spaced 9.00 from each other, and are designated tio and Stop, respectively, as clearly shown .in Fig. f1. When the handle 29 is either forced downwardly by the oper tive or falls downwardly under the influence of gravity, the same will be projected within one olf the slots when the canopy-signal and its actuating mechanism is moved angularly toeither one ot the positions which it is intended to occupy for properly displaying the Go or Stop7 designations formed iu the canopy.

The top 3 is provided adjacent its periphery with a series olspaced apertures or openings 33, and immediately below and in vertical alignment with these openings arc straps or retaining clips 3ft suitably attached to the vertical side wall 4f. ot the compartment-base. These openings 33 and the clips YSi serve as guiding and retaining means for a plurality ot' auxiliary upright standards 35 which are adapted to project through the openings 33 and the retaining clips with their lower `extremities resting within an annular depression 35 t'orined at the periphery of the bottoni or floor 2. VAny number oi' Vthese auxiliary' standards 'may be employed, the mimber depending entirely upon the size ot the signaling device and the character of the materials employed, eight being illustrated in. the embodiment shown. The auxiliary standards are intended to serve as supports 'toria screen or .curtain Ehi which attached and supported from the standards in any suitable manner as by n means oi the Jfastening devices :iiilustrated aft ST, 37. these itastening Vdevices being of t conventhnial tij/ipe commonly 'employed i1. connection 4with curtains ot automobiles or other similar vehiclesmxnd comprises an at.- taching lug `or button which is adapted lto pass through and cooperate with properly` 'formed eyelets inthe body ot' the curtain. The screen or curtain 3GV may extend completely aro-und the. entire signaling device or only partially therearound as is found -.,i.\.'cni^-.nt. rlhe outer ends of theauxiliary standards terminate at a convenient height such as indicated at 38, whereby to leave the .upper .portion of the operative disposed thereabovc. Customarily the upper ends of lthe auxiliary standard 35 will terminate While at the same time affording protection vfor thelower portion of his body. to. afford more adequate and complete pro- In order tection in case of storms, an additional set of auxiliary standards such as shown at 39 1s provided, these additional auxiliary standards being adapted to be connected to the upper ends ofthe standards 35 by means of at-taching sleevesl 40, the sleeves 40 being slipped onto the upper extremity of the standards 35 and the lower endsV of the standards 39 then engaged telescopically with the sleeve whereby when the two stand ards are thus connected, one forms in effect a continuation of the other. A screen or curtain 4l, similar' to the curtain 36, is employed in connection with the upper standards, being attached in an analogous manner by means of attaching devices 42, 42. The upper curtain 4l is provided at a suitable point intermediate its ends with a series of flexible transparent Windows a3 which per- .mit Vthe operativeto at all times observe the traffic to be regulated. The curtains are preferably made of canvas or other suitable waterproof flexible fabric. Y i

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5, the supporting base consists of a compartment which is in the form of an elongated cylinder with a domeshaped upper portion 51, the cross sectional dimension of the casing being comparatively small relative to that illustrated in connection with the preferred embodiment. The base-compartment 50 in the modified form is likewise provided with a closure door 52 hinged as at 53, 53 and 53, and adapted to ie held in closed condition by the lock 54, similar to the method employed in connection with the previously described.V form.

The central portion of the top or dome 51 is in the form of a cylindrical socket 55 which is adapted to receive the upstanding hollow standard 56 which is supported in operative position on the base, the extreme upper end ofthe standard being equipped with a lighting fixture 57. which in this instance is illustrated as an acetylene burner, the supply of gas therefor being secured from a tank 5S located within the compartnient of the base. The gas is conveyed from the tank 58 to the burner through a suitable, pipe 59 which may be connected with the upper end of the tank in any well known or desirable manner at the point 60 as will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings.

In the modified form, the method of mounting the canopy, and the means for actuating and lockingthe same correspond to those in the preferred form, and aremere cmlnter-parts in details of construction with those previously described. For this reason` these parts 'will not be described in greater detail, but have been designated in F ig. 5 of the drawings by means of the same reference numerals with the addition of an ex ponent a thereb) clearly identifying the various elements.

The operation of the preferred form illustrated in Figs. l to et is obvious from the above description. The signaling device is located at any desirable point with the designating signal characters positioned so as to be easily observed by the traffic to be regu lated, in other words, the signaling device is disposed so that either the designating signal character Stop or Go will be positionedl so as to be observed by the traffic when the actuating handle is moved into engagement with the corresponding notch 30 or 82, as the case may be. lilith the device so positioned,

movement. of the handle throughout an arcof 900 so as to change the same from the one notch to the other, results in rotating the canopy-signal 1G so as to present the proper designating character to the traffic, thus indicating thereto the intention of the operative in an obvious manner, and corresponding generally to the scheme now commonly employed for directing traffic.

During the operation, the operative stands upon the top or platform 3 in an ele- `fated position which is not only helpful in aiding him to observe the traffic, but obviates 'th-e necessity of standing directly upon the lground or street during wet or cold weather, thus addingto his comfort.

lf the protecting screens or curtains are not desired` the same may be readilyT removed by detaching the curtains after releasingv the fastening devices 3T, 3T. 49.. l2 and Awithdrawing and disconnecting the auxiliary standards 35 and 3S) fronr each other and from the supporting base. lilith theparts thus removedl and separated, thc same may be pack-ed into a small space and stored away for future use. PreferablyY the compartment provided in the supporting base of' sufficient size for this purpose.

with the exception of the method of utiliz/ ing the protective curtains or screens, as well as the supporting platform. the operation of' the iru'iflified form of the device shown in Fig. 5 correslfioinls to that of the preferred form. `lilith the modified form the operative merely stands adjacent the 'nase-compartinent 5t) and actuates the handlel 29- for the purposes of displaying the proper designating signal7 the canopy-sigal ln serving as a protecting top or umbrella in an obvious manner. rrlthough the gas supply tank shown in connection with this forni occupies substantially the entire snare within the compartment, itis noted that smaller tanks muy be employed, if desired, in which case several may be stored in the compartment at one time, and sevand indicetingl signal, vhut the interior sur- *face t'hereoi` functions as u Vdetlector to throwv the ligl'it .from the lighting` fixtures downwardly upon the operative, and to enhance its action in .this respect the interior surface oi the czinopy muy ,he polished .to a greater or ,less` extent as will prove mostszitisi'rzictory 'for the conditions under which it i: einplojv'cd.

It thus seen that the invention provides ii sturdy.' rnd compact structure ,which iS neat in uppeuriince, easy to manipulate and will function in :in eilicient manner for the purpose ot .lireciing 'ti-aille in the desired direction, und it the saine time provides a device VWhich nl'ords :imple protection to the operative against undue exposure7 -ind 1 seli-contuined structure which is capable of being used eil'ectivelv for night signaling well is for use during the dui'.

I cluini: f

l. A self-contained trnlilc signaling devicecomprising` :i portable liaise, ai stationary supporting stanthird fixed thereto, a conihined protective ezinoppv und indicatin vnail rotatably mounted on suid standard, and Ineens for rotating Ythe saine.

2. A self-contuined portable trafiic signal ing device comprising` i hollow base'serv- .ing as a storage coinparti'nent, un upright standard fixed to the topoi said compartment, whereby not to obstruct the interior thereof, a combined protective canopy und indicating signal rotatably mounted on the standa1d,'nieans 'forluctuzitingthe canopy- 'Signal7 and means for locking the seid nctuating means.

3. A tratlic signalingdevice comprising ,a base, Van upright supporting` standard fixed jthe handle und in Ithe path ot' to said hase. ii cunihiucil,canopy und indient-inn' sional ioltetnhl) n j=uuted fittlie upper end c I-the standard, lineens for rotating the Said ciinoivijksigiull, a fliunflle pliiotullv attached to the y' ineens und norn'ieilljf urged to assume subs itizilly v ical posi. tion undeitlie influence oi gravity. unda notched retaining @lenient disposed below:

thereof. lwherehjyupon rel tl e hA ile h v the oi'ierfuiv'c. the saune will su* Y dznjvxr ivui'dlyiuid engage one oiihc l'no'chcf-z Ito prevent nioveuient `of thc siid -l. i Lrutlie siginilingl device conipii n-c` u liaise. the upper surface ot ivhehlisA in the i'orni ot' un eie\zi,tc l..pliiti'o .unil iur-lineupporingr standard lixii'i renruly oi the plui- 1orin,a combined canopy und indicating signal rotatably mounted :it the upper end ot the Stzuidurd, means for actuating` 'the canopy sig-nul, und u protective screen or curtain interposed :between the platform and signalv but discontinued troni the sign-:il

and spaced from the niain stundzn'd.`

it truliic signalling device comprising :i buse the upper euri-ce o'lt which is inthe i'ornl oi un elevated ,pletter-in. u nniin sup- Aporting standard .fixed centrally olf. the plut- 'orrn. un indicating sienzil rc'itfatahly mount- `ed fut-the upper end or the stnndnitch mean lor uctuoting the signal., the upper surface ci. the pl t.' periphery with n plurziht),l of guide opeir ings, upright uuxdiury standards :removably 'engaging said openings, und u protective .screen or curtain attached to `the said auxiliary standards. Y

Aln testimony Whereoi, l sign my naine.

JAMES VJ. FLANNERYV, JR, li'ituesses F. J. ODONNELL, SAM. W. GINTz.

no vement l'orin ticino provided zidjdcent its 

